Monday, December 9, 2024
Copyrighted by Sarah Morris, 2024
On Sunday night, the Los Angeles Dodgers signed outfielder Michael Conforto to a one-year $17 million contract. Conforto is a journeyman outfielder who shouldn’t prevent the Dodgers from re-signing Teoscar Hernández. Conforto helps to give the Dodgers outfield depth, something that the Dodgers didn’t have in the 2024 season.
At 31, Conforto played with the New York Mets and San Francisco Giants. He has missed many games because of injuries. In 2024 while with the Giants, Conforto played 130 games with a .237 batting average, 20 home runs, and 66 RBI.
Conforto can play all three outfield positions satisfactorily. The Dodgers don’t have any outfielders signed, except Andy Pages. Pages can be a satisfactory right fielder. While Tommy Edman can play center field, the Dodgers probably need him at shortstop. The Giants signed Willy Adames, shortstop, to a long-term lucrative contract. The Dodgers announced that Mookie Betts would play infield almost immediately after the World Series.
After Juan Soto signed a mind-boggling contract with the Mets, teams will pursue Teoscar Hernández. The Dodgers don’t want to compete in a bidding war. While Hernández has stated many times that he wants to be a Dodger, he may choose to go with a team that would pay him a lot.
The Dodgers can’t have James Outman or Chris Taylor play in the outfield every day. The Dodgers must have an offensive productive outfield to have an opportunity to repeat as World Champions. James Outman has too many flaws in his swing to be a productive offensive outfielder.
At 34, Taylor has not aged well. He can’t maintain his complicated swing anymore, so he is prone to long slumps. In 87 games, Taylor had a .202 batting average with 4 home runs and 23 RBI. In the past, Taylor could play multiple positions well but not now. The Dodgers are looking for a trade for Taylor, a salary dump.
The addition of Conforto will be beneficial, but the Dodgers must do more to have a good outfield. Since it is December, I don’t see Conforto as being an everyday outfielder. If he is, something went drastically wrong for the Dodgers.
